Research reveals that one in five seafood species is sold under the wrong name

Seafood often passes through multiple countries before it reaches you, and in the process, it may be sold under a different species name than the original one. According to Matthew RJ Morris, an associate professor of biology at Ambrose University in Canada, one-fifth of the seafood we eat every day is mislabeled, and some of them may be endangered species without knowing it.

Mislabeled and ambiguous market names in invertebrate and finfish seafood conceal species of conservation concern in Calgary, Alberta, Canada [PeerJ]

https://theconversation.com/what-are-you-really-eating-1-in-5-seafood-products-in-our-study-were-mislabelled-240891

In a paper published in September 2024, Morris and his colleagues surveyed invertebrate and fish foods in Calgary, an international city in Alberta in western Canada, from 2014 to 2020, tallying up mislabeled and ambiguous market names. According to Morris, this is the first study in Canada to compare how seafood is handled.

The study involved taking samples of 347 fish and 109 shellfish, including shrimp, octopus and oysters, from restaurants and grocery stores in Calgary and testing them with a method called DNA barcoding , which identifies species by DNA sequence. The results of the DNA testing were compared to the seafood labeling list maintained by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to see if the labels of the restaurants and grocery stores matched. For example, the study considered sockeye salmon to be misbranded when sold as 'salmon.'

The results showed that one in five fish and one in five shellfish served in Canadian grocery stores and restaurants were mislabeled. Morris said the one in five figure is within the expected global range of seafood mislabeling rates. Particularly notable were products labeled as sea bream and red sea bream, of which 79 percent were actually tilapia and 21 percent were rockfish or another type of sea bream, making 100 percent of the products tested mislabeled. Additionally, two eel products were determined to be European eels , a species that is critically endangered.

'Mislabeling of seafood has far-reaching effects on public health, conservation and the economy. In addition to the capture of endangered species, people have been hospitalized due to unknowingly being served fish containing fatty acids that affect digestion. And while cases of cheaper seafood being mislabeled as more expensive seafood have sometimes been punished, legal action is difficult because fishing is a global business,' Morris said. As measures to avoid buying the wrong seafood, Morris listed 'buy fish with heads on, which are less likely to be mislabeled,' 'choose products that are certified by country,' and 'purchase products that accurately indicate the species you are buying.'